Adam Schiff Torches Trump at Intel Chief Hearing: ‘Graphic Evidence’ President ‘Betrayed His Oath of Office’

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff torched President Donald Trump over the Ukraine scandal, calling it “graphic evidence” that Trump “betrayed his oath of office.”

Prior to Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire’s testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Chairman Schiff used his opening statement to convey the gravity of the offenses detailed in the just-released whistleblower’s report and the memo of Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine.

“The presidential oath of office requires the president of the United States to do two things,” Schiff began. “Faithfully execute his or her office, and protect and defend the Constitution.”

Schiff then elaborated on those duties at length on those duties, before going in on Trump.

“Yesterday, we were presented with the most graphic evidence yet that the president of the United States has betrayed his oath of office,” Schiff said, adding “Betrayed his oath to defend our national security, and betraying his oath to defend our constitution.”

“For yesterday, we were presented with a record of a call between the president of the United States and the president of Ukraine in which the president, our president, sacrificed our national security and our Constitution for his personal political benefit.”

Schiff went on to deliver a scorching paraphrase of that conversation, in the style of a criminal extortionist.

He then explained the crucial importance of whistleblowers, and whistleblower protections, and told Maguire he looked forward to his testimony.

Watch Schiff’s full opening statement above, via C-Span 3.